Meghan, Duchess of Sussex — who recently posed for a selfie with Finnish Social Affairs and Health Minister Wille Rydman (Finns) — has distanced herself from the minister after learning about his past.
Rydman shared the photo on Instagram on Tuesday, along with the comment: "A dinner with Meghan".
The Finnish minister and Meghan posed for the photo as they attended a WHO event in Geneva.
UK tabloids the Mirror and the Daily Mail took note of the photo.
"Meghan Markle distances herself from scandal-hit Finnish politician who asked her for selfie at UN - as it emerges he faced claims of sexual harassment and racism," the Daily Mail's headline read.
The paper said that social media users had "uncovered Rydman's controversial past, including allegations of racism and sexual harassment, causing a PR headache for Meghan".
The allegations partly refer to messages Rydman had posted in 2016 that included repeated racist language.
Rydman began appearing in the media several years ago, after Helsingin Sanomat reported that several women claimed Rydman used his political position to harass young women.
However, police investigations found no such evidence, and the prosecutor dropped the case against him. In the summer of 2024, Rydman survived a confidence vote called by opposition parties over the matter.
Rydman resigned from the National Coalition Party parliamentary group in the summer of 2022 and from the party about half a year later. He joined the Finns Party at the beginning of 2023.
The Daily Mail reported Meghan's spokesperson saying that it "is impossible to vet everyone who asks her for a selfie".
"To be absolutely clear, the Duchess does not know Mr Rydman, had no prior awareness of him attending the event, and was unfamiliar with the concerning reports relating to him," the spokesperson said, according to the paper.
Calling Rydman a "controversial politician in Finland," the tabloid detailed allegations and reports about his past.
A similar article was also published by UK newspaper the Mirror.
